The Devil's Game
by CirqueDe
Summary: Something horrible is coming. Him has taken other criminals to use as pawns. The table gets thrown out of control when the only ones with answers are the sons of the Devil and his Primate. A battle of blood and nightmares. It's a fight for the lives of millions, and it's not clear who's winning. Three queens and a King, fighting for the moment to scream, "Checkmate."
1. Chapter 1

I Do Not Own Anything.

* * *

**PART 1**

_Chapter 1_

The clock struck one. She stared into the darkness. The floors squealed in protest with her first step and she sucked air in through her teeth in fear that someone would have awoken from it. She waited. Nothing but silence soothed her back to comfort. Floating just inches above the floor, Blossom let her feet touch the floor at the bottom of the stairs. In the doorway of the kitchen, she searched the wall with her hand for the light-switch. The sudden light made her squint until they adjusted.

Blossom sat at the table, her eyes wandering over everything, focusing on nothing. Sleep had escaped her. A knot of anxiety sat in her chest, without giving her any idea why. Her eyes glazed over until they came to a little picture stuck to the fridge with a blue refrigerator magnet with the colorful letters of, _Worlds Best Dad. _It was the Professor in the middle with Blossom on his right, Buttercup on his left, and Bubbles over his shoulder. Her sisters and her had the biggest eyes, no nose, nor fingers nor toes. Blossom had never been bothered with it when she was young, then puberty struck and these pictures bring her to a whole new time. Their eyes started to shrink to normal size. A nose pushed its way into their faces and fingers and toes made a new appearance. It was an extremely awkward time, that transition.

Absently, Blossom flicked her thumbs against each other while she reclaimed her focus and moved on from the picture. Right below it was Blossom's Chemistry test with a big **A** on it. And on top of that was a green sticky note with _"Blossom is a huge nerd!" _scribbled in Buttercup's messy letters, while a blue sticky note right below it said, _"Genius Blossy! I got a **C** on that test. Oopsy!"_ in Bubbles' girly handwriting.

A sudden figure in the corner of Blossom's eye, made her jump, startling the person in the doorway. Bubbles flinched, lifting one leg, one arm over her face and the other straight out in front on her like she was planning on karate chopping what had scared her. "Jeez! It's just me!" Bubbles loudly whispered. She rubbed her big blue eyes and shuffled across the floor in her slippers, bunny ones where the ears flap up every time she takes a step. One pigtail sagged lower than the other from sleeping on it, leaving her hair completely lopsided.

Blossom rolled her eyes and exhaled big and loud. "How did you hear me down here, I've been sitting completely still for fifteen minutes."

"Call it a sisters intuition." Bubbles smiled, pouring herself a glass on water. She took her first sip and looked over at her sister who was still waiting for a _real_ answer. "Okay, okay. It was the super hearing. Hey, don't look at me like that. I can't just turn it off! Okay, I can but I was curious on what you were doing. Don't judge me." She walked over to pull up a seat next to her sister, those bunny ears flapping with every step she took. "So, what are you doing down here at 1 in the morning?"

Blossom sagged in her chair, taking one long minute to look around the room. She stared out the window at the moon, observing its skinny crescent. It looked so incomplete and receding in the black of the night sky.

"I couldn't sleep. That's it." Blossom didn't look at her sister when she said it, her eyes remained fixed on the broken shape of the yellow-white moon. Out of the edge of her sight, Bubbles was looking at her like she staring right through her. "What?" Blossom finally looked at her with intimidation burning through to her sister. Bubbles didn't move.

She was waiting for the rest of it. Bubbles waited for a response until she was sure her stubborn sister wasn't going to give. "Okay." That was it. She stood up and placed her glass in the sink and walked to the door of the kitchen. "I know something is bothering you, but we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. And you should try to get some sleep, it's a big day tomorrow."

Like that, Blossom was back to sitting alone. The words of her sister played over in her mind as she got up and turned off the lights. The floor croaked under her feet but she didn't bother trying to stop the noise. The blankets enveloped around her and one thought raised through her mind over and over until it lulled her to sleep. How could she talk about what was bothering her if she didn't even know what it was?

* * *

The next morning was bright and breezy. Almost all of Townsville gathered at the front gates of a massive building. The gate was large and black with spikes and barbed wire across the top of it. Although the building itself was the masterpiece. Cements and steel covered the outside, barred windows and security guarded doors. If it wasn't for this being an occasion, everyone would avoid this place like the plague. Across the bars, molded into them actually, was a new name for everyone to despise, _Blackwater Prison_.

Today was the Grand Opening. The Powerpuff girls were bestowed the great honor of cutting the delicate red ribbon that stood out among the menacing exterior. After all, they are the ones who have caught so many criminals that a new prison would need built. So, it only seemed right. And the _best_ part is they get to watch all of Townsville's most infamous criminals get transported to their new and _improved_ homes. Absolutely fantastic.

The mayor, still a little old man, well, now he's a little and _older_ man. He still had that black top-hat, his snowy white mustache and his goofy favorite suit. On right is Mrs. Bellum. She married a few years back to some handsome lawyer, he took her last name instead of vice versa, all Mrs. Bellum had to do was ask him once. She was tall and still beautiful with age. Mayor rambled on about, _our fine city_ this, _our fine city_ that. Everyone clapped and laughed at the right parts and the Mayor was keeping everyone in a light-hearted mood.

Except for the girls. All three of them stared at the armored trucks. Did the people even know how bad of an idea it was to bring criminals, _some who could easily smash those cars_, right next to a crowd full of men, women, and children? So they watched. At least 30 trucks, maybe five prisoners a truck, depending on the size of the prisoner.

While Buttercup's and Bubbles' faces are ones of concern, Blossom had complete anxiety. If she thought it was bad last night, then this was killing her. Her palms started to sweat, her eyes keep darting back and forth, and her lungs feel like wet cement. She caught the Professor in the crowd, smiling a big smile with two thumbs in the air. Blossom gave a broken smile back.

"Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I give the Powerpuff girls the ceremonial scissors to cut the red ribbon and declare _Blackwater prison_ officially open!" All three girls held the giant scissors together, crowding around one another. They quickly chopped through the crimson ribbon, listening to the crowd roar. The girls smiled and bowed, the crowd only lingered for a few more minutes before dispersing. The paparazzi went away after snapping what seemed like thousands of pictures. But, as the crowd migrated, the girls became more comfortable and less anxious. Even Blossom was feeling the knot in her chest loosen.

The bliss was short-lived. As the gates opened and the trucks made their way in, there was a deep rumbling. The girls stood in front of what few people remained and waited. The whites of their eyes disappeared, being overwhelmed with the pink, blue and green. The same colors glowed from their palms of their hands. Blossom instructed the to leave. She did the same by yelling at all the drivers to take off and go.

One of the trucks rocked back and forth, the fifth one in line. They stood around it as the steel glowed a deep red. The smell of burning filled the air around it. The drivers sat in shock in the front seats, absolute terror in their eyes.

"It's melting! They're melting it!" Blossom screamed out.

"Thanks, Captain obvious! Because we can't see it, right?" Blossom ignored Buttercup. The other trucks began to scatter. They carried murderers and thieves, but it was still their job to protect who them. The Mayor, Mrs. Bellum, the Professor, and the rest of the civilians took off down the road. Bubbles was yanking the drivers out of the front of the truck by the back of their shirts and pulling them out of harms way.

"Who's in this one?" Buttercup yelled at the stunned drivers. In armored clothes and guns in their waist, they watched in complete helplessness. Buttercup repeated herself with more aggravation, "Who _the f__uck_ is in it!?"

They didn't get a chance to answer. Chunks of scolding steel went flying, knocking Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup flat on their backs. Debris flew in the air like confetti then fell like snow.

Smoke filled the air and Bubbles almost hacked up a lung trying to breathe. The black and white smoke burned their eyes and clogged their chests. A deep laugh emerged through the fog. It was a laugh that followed a rythm-like pattern. _"Ha. Ha. Ha ha." Mojo Jojo._

And like that it was gone. Still too cloudy to see, the girls desperately searched for the missing primate when another voice screeched. The very sound of it clawed down their spine like nails on a chalkboard. _"The Princess is back, girls!" _Her voice was everywhere and then nowhere. Gone.

"Princess! Where are you!?" Bubbles swatted through the clouds. The sweet girl was growing furious. The hands that cradle and nurture emitted a blue light that burned anything they would touch.

"Mojo! You damn monkey! Come out and fight!" Buttercup shouted, her hand clenched into fists. Rage burned in her green covered eyes. She barred her teeth, a cornered animal ready to fight or die.

"Sorry, girls." That voice. The one that rose and fell at the same time. The one that was always wispy and smiling while it hated and despised. A voice that used to haunt the nightmares of everyone who was unfortunate enough to hear it.

All three of them froze. "Him." Blossom whispered. She looked up into the sky. The urge to cry was there just as much as the urge to defend her sisters was there to. She hoped to see him so she could crush his voice box silent then she prayed she wouldn't see him out of the fear of what he could do. She never knew exactly what he could do, and that was what she was so scared of.

_"My, it has been so long. I would stay longer but, I'm only here to pick up a few friends. Don't you fret though, I'll make time. **Just for you!" **_Blossom flinched with his change in tone. Then the fog vanished. Not a single person was in sight. There was no Mojo, Princess, or Him. Buttercup let out an outburst of frustration while Bubbles just held her head in her hands. Blossom stood there with the number of horrible things that could happen etch themselves into her mind.

The tore open truck lied tore open in the middle of the street. Parts were up in flames while other lie charred and black. But, it wasn't empty. Bubbles walked up to the front and put out the fire. Buttercup and Blossom raced when Bubbles stood in front of it and whispered . "Oh my god."

There sitting calmly with chains across their ankles and wrists was the Rowdyruff boys. The orange jumpsuits they wore, and their hair, are covered in ash. The girls stared at them in shock. They hadn't been seen since they all were ten and the girls put them away. It's been seven years since then. Why were they still here if Princess and Mojo escaped, anyone knows that they wanted to leave just as bad as they did.

The one in the middle with the red cap and eyes to match, looked up with humorless eyes. Brick looked like he hadn't even noticed that the truck he was in had just exploded, unfazed and uncaring. It was the blonde on his right that spoke up first.

"Dude, we haven't seen you guys in forever. You guys look different." His big sapphire eyes grazed over them until he realized he was staring for a little too long at one of them. He turned with red cheeks toward the floor. "But, I guys we all look kind of different." He said while wiggling his fingers.

Butch who was shaking the dust out of his ivory hair. He smirked up at them and let his emerald eyes wander, "I see the little change did you all good." Seeing as none of them were planning on saying thank you, he continued to talk. "But, I'm not going to lie, I missed you guys. Missed the fighting actually, but missed you regardless."

Where Buttercup and Bubbles had listened to the brothers, Blossom was in a glaring contest with Brick. Years of him being put away, taking pills to keep his powers at bay must have made him pent-up a grudge. He wasn't wrong for it. When Blossom had opened her mouth to speak Brick cut her off with the answer to the question she didn't get to answer.

"We don't know why he didn't take us. And frankly, we wouldn't have gone. I'm happy the stupid primate is gone and that stuck up bitch with the annoying voice. We only have three days until release and we aren't jeopardizing that to hang out with the King of drag." The swat team was pulling up in big cars and guns flung out in the open. Brick didn't look away from Blossom, he didn't care about it. "If you have anymore questions, ask me in three days, until then don't bother."

The boys were pulled from the truck without protest and had a fifty men escort into the prison.

"I guess we're not going to get pizza like we planned, huh?" Buttercup asked with a half-hearted smile.

* * *

The mayor sat with shame across his face. The girls scolded him about his poor planning decisions and the risks he took. He just sat there like a kicked puppy and dropped his head. This went on for ten minutes until the girls had let out their frustration and cooled down.

Bubbles immediately regretted the things she said when she saw the Mayor's sad little face. "Mayor, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It's just that it's dangerous to get the civilians so close to the inmates. Okay. You're nice and I didn't mean to hurt you if I did."

Buttercup rolled her eyes, feeling a little bad too. "Yeah. Sorry, Mayor. Just got a little peeved."

Blossom sat in the chair in front of his desk and rubbed at her temples. She didn't apologize, she didn't feel like she needed to. She was completely and utterly justified in the way she reacted. "Two dangerous criminals are loose, and an even worse criminal has come back. The only lead we have in figuring out what Him wants with Princess and Mojo, are the Rowdyruff boys. Who, by the way, don't want a single thing to do with this. It doesn't make any sense. Him resurrected them. I would think he'd come for them before anyone else. What is he trying to do? Is he trying to psych us? I've rerun any possible reason he would favor those two over them three. It's just not adding up." She slammed her fist against the arm of the chair and felt the wood crack beneath it.

The Professor, who was standing away from them placed his hand on Blossom's shoulder. "It's okay, sweetheart. You'll figure it out. But, now it looks like there's nothing we can do. The whole city has their eyes open for Princess, Mojo, and Him. It's time for us to go home."

Blossom sighed, knowing that there was nothing more she could add. He was right. There was nothing they could do, but sit and wait.

* * *

Waiting takes too long. Blossom needs answers. For hours on end she sat at her desk scribbling out notes that looked like they belonged to a serial killer. The last time him was seen was five years ago, and he wasn't nearly as powerful as he was when she was five. Him didn't have any slight interest in Princess whatsoever. He more than likely saw her as everyone did. A spoiled girl who's own envy drove her to becoming a villain. Arrested about two and half years ago, Princess had finally gone overboard. She was taking some enhancement drug that she paid some chemist to make, and long story short, it didn't work. And Mojo. He was put away only a year or so ago. With age, Mojo had gone a little off his nut. With the girls growing more powerful with age, his sons locked up and his ideas gone, Mojo just wasn't a threat anymore. He was only arrested for his own protection, from himself. In some way, Blossom pitied him. The only connection Him and Mojo had together was the Rowdyruff boys.

Blossom sat in the light of her desk lamp, she glanced over at the clock. 4:46 a.m. With drooped eyes, Blossom picked up her phone and set an alarm. She had to get up early tomorrow, there was things to be done. And like that, Blossom was out and drooling on her desk.

* * *

Sunday morning was drastically different than Saturday at the ribbon cutting. It was freezing and pouring. Maybe the world knew where the Powerpuff girls were going today. _Blackwater Prison._

"The weather in this city is bipolar." Bubbles said rubbing the arms of her thin jacket. She was almost shouting to be heard over the sound of marble sized raindrops on her umbrella.

"I know." Buttercup shook some mud off her shoe. "Mother Nature, you bitch."

They got to the gates where two guards stood watch. All Blossom had to do was look at them and they moved right out of their way.

"Aren't they supposed to check for like I.D. or something." Bubbles looked back to see them shut and lock the gates.

Buttercup patted Bubbles on her shoulder to make her turn forward. "That's so people don't come in to break somebody out."

"Not necessarily." Blossom started as they all tracked up the long walkway. "It's to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the visitors and the inmates. Some people aren't even allowed in prisons under some circumstances."

Bubbles looked at her in awe. "How do you know all that?"

Buttercup looked at Bubbles and threw her free arm out over her shoulder, "Oh sweet little blonde Bubbles, doesn't she know everything?" The sarcasm was thick in the air.

Blossom smiled at her and shrugged. "You could say that. But, I called in advance before we came here to let them know we were coming and the Commissioner happened to tell me the rules and regulations. That's why I told you to leave your cell phones at home and checked you two on the way out the door."

"Everything that I have ever known about you is a lie."

"Oh shut up, Buttercup."

* * *

"Wow." Bubbles gaped while she looked around the interior of the prison. After the security checkpoint it's an entirely new place. Through security it was gloomy and sterile feeling. The metal detectors and all the men on guard. It made them feel more paranoid than safe.

But, in the cell block, everything was different. Al the chrome and steel made it feel futuristic and undeniably fascinating. Although, all they could see was ordinary criminals. Their guide walked clear through this area. The girls had to keep their hoods up to conceal their hair and faces to avoid causing an upbringing of violent reactions.

The officer led them to a big silver-colored door that required his I.D., a code, and his fingerprint. "Welcome to the A.D. Wing, Powerpuff girls."

"What does A.D. stand for?" Blossom asked, pulling down her hood to pull her hair back out of her face.

"Armed and Dangerous, Ms. Utonium." The guard shut the door behind them.

"I like this place already." Buttercup grinned, running her fingers back through her short hair. Next to her Bubbles was pulling lint out of her pigtails.

"In this wing, it is the inmates that impose a threat on the other population and the staff. They're in special cells. You can go ahead and leave your hoods down now, you won't be able to hear anything they're saying without us accessing the speakers in their wall. I'm sure you'd all wouldn't be afraid of them anyway, but they might just be scared of you."

They walked along the rows of cells. A big four-inch glass separating them. They recognized each one of them. Fuzzy, Sedusa, the Amoeba boys, and gangrene gang. And so many more. It was an entirely different feeling seeing them like this. Some would look at the girls with disgust, and others didn't look at them at all.

It seemed like a thousand years before their guide stopped. In the three cells in front of them were the Rowdyruff boys. Butch in the first, Brick in the second, and Boomer in the last. There was no more cells after them. This was the end of the line.

Butch was laid out on the floor doing sit-ups. Boomer sat on his bed staring up at the brick ceiling with keen interest. And Brick sat at the glance, rolling his hat around in his hands.

The guard typed in a code for each of them, and they were ready to talk to them.

Blossom looked up at the guard, "You can go now. We can show ourselves when we're done. We'll only be a minute."

The guard nodded, watching the boys as he went.

Blossom looked over at her sisters and nodded. She had told them that it would be better if she talk with Brick alone, as he was already hostile toward them and having them all would seem like an interrogation. They agreed.

* * *

Bubbles peaked sheepishly into Boomer's cell. She nervously stroked one of her pigtails while she watched him stare up at the ceiling. After a few seconds she tapped the glass and flinched when she saw him jump.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" Bubbles apologized genuinely.

Boomer turned crimson, "You didn't scare me! I just wasn't paying attention." He looked back up defensively.

"Oh." She looked up at the ceiling like he did. "What are you looking at?"

Boomer glanced at her and shifted in his seat, "Sometimes, when I get bored, I look up at the ceiling and look for stuff. You know, like faces, animals, and stuff like that."

Bubbles smiled in understanding. "Like with clouds."

Boomer jumped up with excitement written across his face. "Dude, yes! Clouds! I miss clouds. Every time we go outside for our hour, I never see them. Man, I miss clouds." His excitement melted away and a sad look came across his face and he pressed his forehead against the glass. "I can't wait until I get out."

Bubbles instinctively wanted to comfort him, so she pressed her hand on the glass. "It's going to be okay. Just two more days! Then you can go out and look at the clouds! You can go to the park, eat ice cream, go to the movies, and see pretty girls." Bubbles smiled up at him, nudging her elbow toward him through the glass.

Boomer looked down at her, considering she was about to his shoulders. "Yes!" He jumped up and spun, laughing at the possibilities. "These two days can't go any faster! I can finally eat food that isn't all greasy or dry, and I can wear clothes that fit me, and I can finally see what it's like to not be stuck in here." He dropped down to the floor. "But, I'm so scared to go."

Bubbles sat in front of him after struggling to find a position that would be okay to sit in with a skirt. "Why though?" With them both sitting face to face, Bubbles never really noticed what a pretty blue his eyes were.

"I'm a criminal. Nobody is going to like me out there. My brothers won't care about that, but I will. In here, at least I know that I belong."

"No, I wouldn't look at you like that. Like you were evil. I would talk to you! I think you're a nice person and that you've changed!" She said it so angrily, Boomer just stared at her in shock.

"Okay, dude. Just take it easy.." Boomer held his hands up in front of him.

"No! Next Friday, a couple of days after you're out. I'm going to go get you and take you everywhere and for the love of everything that is cute, you are going to have a good time!" She was up and stomping her feet while Boomer was just sitting there with a blank expression.

With a deep red in his cheeks and a nervous crack in his voice, he spoke very quiet and slow. "If I say okay, will you calm down?"

* * *

Buttercup roughly knocked on the glass. Butch jumped up and rocked his head back and forth.

"Woah, I've never had a visitor before! So, what brings you to the other side of the system?" Butch asked before he dropped to the floor and started doing push-ups.

"My sister needed to talk to your brother." She watched him work out for a couple of seconds before she asked, "Training for something?"

He stopped and grinned at her, "Naw, it just passes the time. Gives me something to do. We don't do much of anything here. Well fuck, I didn't even ask, you like the new cell, it was designed specifically for me. Custom." He strolled up to the glass and flicked it with pride.

Buttercup took a step back, and looked up and down at it. "Looks like something Hannibal Lector would stay in."

Butch laughed, "Please, Hannibal Lector should be scared of me."

Buttercup shrugged, "Not gonna try to argue with you on that one." She crossed her arms and leaned back on her heels. "So, what are you gonna do when you get out of this hell hole?"

He raised his eyebrows and turned around. He started rubbing his chin like he had never really given it any thought. "I don't know. Probably catch up on the stuff I've missed. I've heard about that Miley chick busting a Britney, what's his face being deported to Canada, and I'm sure I've missed some other stuff too. But, that's all I can think of now. Oh, maybe start some shit, cause a riot, I've always wanted to do that you know."

"I can tell we're going to have some problems getting along, Butch."

"You have no fucking idea."

* * *

Blossom took out her notebook and pencil. She stood in front of him, waiting for him to do something. But, no. He sat there completely occupied with his hat in his hands like he could stay that way forever. And it felt like he did, Blossom stood there in front of him for maybe five minutes before she decided she would take the initiative.

"Brick?"

Instead of a response, he tucked his hair back with hat then leaned on his hand. He raised an eyebrow telling her to start talking.

"I know that you told me to wait, but there's no time for that. I really need to know what you know about Him, now. If you saw Princess or Mojo acting suspicious or anything like that."

"What are we supposed to get out of this?" Brick continued to glare at her.

Blossom started to feel uncomfortable with those eyes fixed on her like that. "What do you want out of it?"

Brick stood up and repeated the question. "I want money."

Blossom laughed to herself. "Like any other criminal."

"Money puts clothes on me and my brothers and food in our mouths." Brick turned away from her, "So is it a deal or what?"

"I'm sorry, about the money thing. I didn't think about it like that."

"In here all we have to do is think." He sat down back in front of her. "Deal or what?"

"I'll have to talk with the mayor but if I explain the circumstances I'm sure I can you enough to live comfortably. Where are you going to be staying anyway?"

Brick completely ignored her question. "What's your first question?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 1**

_Chapter 2_

* * *

Headlights flashed white at the right of the windshield while the red brake lights glowed in front of them. No one spoke to each other while the Professor glided the station wagon through the traffic. The radio was blaring, Bubbles singing with it. Buttercup grumbled in the back, making a point to stick her fingers in her ears at a One Direction and Bubbles duet. The Professor smiled at the scene in his rearview mirror. He looked over at the passenger seat and frowned a little.

"What's wrong, Sweetie?" Blossom looked up with glazed eyes, hearing her name but not the question itself.

"Blossom, I said is there anything wrong?" He spoke clearly through the chaos in the car, his voice cutting straight to Blossom.

She looked back forward and thought for a second. Really pondering and considering it while she rolled her notepad in her hand. "I don't really know. Can I get back to you?"

The Professor was taken aback and smiled a little at how unexpected that answer was to him. "Yes, I suppose. You could back to me." He laughed a little more to himself, "I feel like you just put me on hold."

Blossom just nodded and scraped her fingernails against each other in a trance.

"You know, Blossom." The Professor said without looking at her, "Sometimes, I think you put being a hero before everything. But, don't misinterpret me, that's wonderful and I'm proud of you and all the responsibility you hold. Just sometimes, you forget that it's okay to smile, and that you're just a kid yourself. Don't let the world sit on your shoulders when it's okay to set it down."

* * *

The raindrops raced each other across each other down the round window. Some drops slipped together to drift down bigger and faster, like a beautiful suicide. The moonlight made each one twinkle brighter than the real stars.

Blossom watched natures paint itself on her bedroom window. Her heart racing a mile a minute, she drifted above the floor, talking to herself in the cover of night. All her questions were answered today, but she didn't feel like she knew much more than when she started. The answers created new questions. Who better to ask than the source of the city's fear?

The little white sleeping pill rolled around her palm. Tonight sleep isn't a period of peace of refuge, but something she's dreading. She pops the pill in her mouth and swallows it dry. She pushes the window open, letting the icy air nip at her bare hands and feet. Little bits of rain sprinkled across her face, but she didn't care to wipe them away.

She floated out the window and whispered into the air. "Alright, it's my turn to talk. If you want me to play in your little game, you need to know my rules." She looked into her sisters' rooms and saw them both asleep in their beds. With a pain in her heart, she pushed back into her room and shut the window. There wasn't a conscious soul out there, but she knew someone was listening. It was the only one that needed to hear it.

The bed felt so comfortable, the blankets so soft. She let herself be enveloped by them and drifted slowly and completely to sleep. The nightmare that was waiting for her she greeted with open arms, and she chanted over and over to herself as it consumed her. _I'm not scared. I'm not scared._

* * *

_Blossom sat up gasping for air. Her lungs twisted and burned in her chest. The smoke in the air twisted up in all shades of gray and white. __Ash drifted down like snow, and she was sitting in piles of it. It was ankle-deep, everywhere she turned there was ash and smoke. The feeling of suffocation was overwhelming and Blossom was beginning to feel light-headed. _

_Then there was a red light pushing through the smoke. She blinked and all the snowy ash and white smoke was gone. But__, it was replaced with something much worse. She was standing in Blackwater Prison, In the A.D. Wing. It was burning. There was fire everywhere. Black smoke covered the ceiling, pouring up from inside the cells. Nobody was in sight. The place was empty. Blossom felt her lungs singe and shrivel while her skin burned and roasted. _

_**"You know, I've always liked you the most."** A smiling voice pierced through the horror. Blossom dropped to her knees, her nails stuck into her skin over her heart, feeling it hum under her palm and the fire and smoke was slowly killing her. She always healed remarkably fast, but her body was refusing to try to save her this time. The voice laughed a dark and happy laugh like it just discovered the joke in what it was seeing.** "You know I can make that go away, don't you?"**_

_Blossom gasped, her lungs filling with the sweet pure air. Her skin cooled and all the burns healed over. But, nothing around her changed. She was the only living thing in the empty burning prison. She finally found her voice to speak, "Him! I know what you've done to everyone in that prison! I know how you picked __you're little helpers!" _

_Him laughed that same laugh, **"Just because I can take it away, doesn't mean I can't make it so much worse."** Blossom dropped in all fours, her nose filled with the scent of her own burning flesh. The corners of her eyes poured out tears while the smoke blinded her. But she would take all of this and turn it up ten times worse if she didn't have to listen to the screams. All the cells that were once empty had someone burning alive inside. The glass wall keeping them from escape, they were trapped in an oven. They screamed at the top of their lungs in agony. Cries, pleads, and even apologies. Blossom took every once of strength she had and screamed, _

_"Stop!__"_

_And like that, Him took everything back. **"As I was saying before I so rudely interrupted myself. You're my favorite. Have always been, actually. You were the one in charge, the smart one, the one that made you little girls a real threat. See your strong sister, she has potential, that one. So fierce and ferocious, but without you she's a bullet without a target, she'd be a villain, one of the most infamous the world has ever seen. And the blonde one, she'd be useless. The power without the nerve. Without someone to tell her how to direct it, she'd hurt herself before anyone else. But you, you are your own drive. So perfectly set in the way of justice, of law and order. I admire you really. But, you spoil my fun. I was more than giddy though, when you practically invited me to take a tour of your sub-conscious. How did you know I wouldn't refuse?"**_

_Blossom stood from the floor, "I know you could never refuse someone saying they'll play with you. And it looks like I don't have an option."_

_**"That is true."** His voice drifted in the smoke. **"So which of my little birdies sang about my visits?"**_

_"Doesn't matter. I know that you visited everyone in that prison in their dreams and-"_

**_"Not everyone."_ **

_Blossom blinked, "What?"_

**_"I didn't visit everyone. Just the ones in the place where you stand. What would I do with a bunch of insignificant sorry excuses for criminals when I could go right ahead and talk to the top dogs? Not a damn thing. You could kill any fucking one of them with your pinkie finger and where would that leave me? Armyless and defeated, that's where. At least with these, there's a chance, no matter how slim, of your downfall. You see, I'm not psychotic_**_**, I'm selfish."** _

_"I beg to differ. I would say both. The former more so than the latter." Blossom walked along the hall, watching the dancing flames. She couldn't feel the heat anymore, and the smoke didn't suffocate her. At one point she even thought it was the most realistic illusion she had ever seen. "Like I said, you deliberately entered their minds and manipulated them into doing your bidding. How? There are roughly thirty prisoners you would have spoken to and only two accepted. Why?"_

_**"True. But, not for the reasons that you would think. I won't tell you how I persuaded them, that's between me and myself. But, I'll say why some refused to come with me."** Him's voice, Blossom realized, wasn't just coming out of thin air but flowed with the smoke, coming directly out of it. **"Weak minds. The weak are afraid of failure, getting hurt in the journey to victory."**_

_"Including your own sons?" Blossom watched the smoke swirls and morph more and more as Him continued to speak._

_**"Especially my own sons!"** He snarled at the mention of Brick, Boomer, and Butch.** "To think that a part of me runs through their veins. They think that they can defy me? They think I'll fail without them? I don't need them!"** Then his voice suddenly fell silent, the change made Blossom endure the silence that lingered for seconds too long after he_ _screamed. Then he c__ooed, she could feel the corners of his mouth twist up in a smile that sent cold shivers down her spine. **"Now I know which bird sang.**__**"** _

_"What?" Blossom felt fear swell in her chest, "What are you talking about?" He mind started to cloud like it did when she found herself in the ash, she was waking up._

**_"Loyalty, is something that, in pets, is most commonly associated with dogs. I've treated my pets like dogs for so long, I forgot that they weren't. My mistake. But, a mistake easily fixed. No worries, I've already got new ones, disposing of the old won't be so hard.."_**

_Blossom tried to reach out to grab the smoke but it just slipped straight through her fingers. Before she could catch herself she was against the floor, the world slipping from around her, the concrete floor started feeling more and more like her blankets at home. The pain from falling was gone, a drowsiness laced through her and lulled her to sleep. Just as she was about to close her eyes, Him whispered into her ear. God, what had she done?_

**_"Sometimes, the only way to shut the bird up, is to break its neck."_**

* * *

Blossom sat upright with her hand over her chest.

The light coming through her window was so bright that it was outright offensive. There was a little stiffness in her back, she had rolled out of the bed and onto the floor in her sleep. She rubbed at her bare arms and stood, the floor creaking under her feet. The voices of Bubbles, Buttercup, and the Professor came from downstairs, but she didn't bother listening to what they were saying.

The sun's rays glowed on her pale skin while she stood in front of the window. Her head cocked to the side when she saw a little black spot move back and forth across the sky. She leaned in closer, but still couldn't make it out through the dirty water-spotted glass. Her heart smashed against her ribs when a pigeon smashed straight into her window and flew away in fear. It dipped and rose, its wings barely able to keep it up in the sky until it finally gave in and dipped toward the earth, fading from sight.

"Blossom!" Bubbles called from downstairs. Blossom shook her head and pulled her pink cardigan over her tank-top and buttoned it as she walked out of her room and down the stairs. Her mind drifted somewhere off in a different world, it was so far gone she didn't realize that everyone was staring at the T.V.

Blossom stopped on the last step, she gripped the railing so hard the metal bent under her fingers. She was grateful for it being there otherwise she wouldn't have been able to catch herself when her knees buckles. Across the screen was an image of Blackwater Prison, flames coming out the windows and surrounded with smoke. It was timed at four hours ago.

That wasn't the part that made her wish she hadn't ever woken up this morning. It was the video from the gates of Blossom walking up to the doors and setting the place up in flames. "Oh God. No." She whispered while her family looked on the verge of tears, or on the verge of losing their minds.

Bubbles looked at her in horror and question with new tears running down her face, "Blossom. What did you do?"

* * *

She didn't even try to resist when the police came to arrest. They seemed more afraid of her than she was of them. There was no exchange of words as they mirandized her and clasped the cold handcuffs on her. She shook them a little and knew that she could break them easily if she wanted to, but she didn't. It really wasn't helping that Bubbles was balling the whole time, the Professor was promising a good lawyer, and Buttercup was just looking at her just trying to understand.

The officers walked her out with respect. Although, the media didn't treat her with any. Cameras and microphones shoved in her face, brave ones even tugged at her to look in their direction. She didn't pay any attention to them. The walk from her from door to the police car was like miles. A journey of reflection. The officer held his hand on her head as she sat into the backseat. She kept her head down, Him's laughing voice ringing in her ears and Buttercup's face painted on the inside of her eyes. Blossom started to cry. It was a cry unlike she's ever cried. It was one of self-pity, disappointment, grief, and above all _rage_.

She didn't set that prison on fire, she didn't murder the people trapped inside of it, but someone did. And she was going to find out who it is, even if it kills her.


	3. Chapter 3

**PART 1**

_Chapter 3_

* * *

The T.V. still played the breaking news of the prison burning because no one in the house bothered to turn it off. The house was empty of its occupants, all the objects remained untouched and unmoved. And still, the television blared for the deaf to hear.

_Townsville's own heroine has broken her iconic reputation, Blossom Utonium of the Powerpuff girls has been shown committing arson using her fire breath as a flame thrower. In doing so 66 prisoners and faculty of Blackwater prison have been proclaimed as deceased, 150 are injured and roughly 20 missing. The rest have managed to escape with their lives, unscathed and breathing. But, having our hero be the villain today isn't the only devastating thing to happen. Out of the 20 missing, at least fifteen are Townsville's Most Wanted. It's a dark day today in our beloved city of Townsville. Stay safe out there everyone.._

* * *

Blossom sat in the holding cell by herself. They had to take the others away from her, she was thankful for that. She wasn't exactly liked by those against the law, even though some of the people congratulated her on finally switching sides. Now Blossom sat alone in a cell that was made for at least fifteen. The cuffs made her wrist itch and the bench was way too uncomfortable to be sitting on it any longer. But, she didn't move from the uneasy looks the guards had when she shifted in her seat. Blossom wondered in it was like this when the Rowdyruff boys were brought in, perhaps it was worse. Considering, they wouldn't second think tossing any of them around.

A sharp heel clacking sound echoed in the halls. A tall woman strode with her sharp heels piercing the floor with each step she took. The ashy white hair was pulled so tight it made her eyebrows stick up in constant surprise. The woman snapped her fingers and pointed at Blossom's cell door. The young guard sweater big beads of sweat while he fumbled with the keys, trying not to stare into the woman's big gray eyes. The door pulled open and the woman gestured with her long index finger for Blossom to follow her.

Wherever the woman planned to do made Blossom want to curl up and disappear. They gave her an orange jumpsuit that was a couple of sizes too big and sagged in all the wrong places. When she asked why she needed to change, they said it was because her clothes had soot on them, making them evidence. Great, she thought. Evidence to be used to put her away for 20 to life.

When she was done they set her in a room with one table, two chairs, and a one way mirror. Interrogation time. She didn't care what any of them had against her, she didn't do anything. That was her story and she's sticking to it.

The woman with the too high eyebrows and the gray eyes walked in and talked with a voice that sounded like it belonged to Siri by how robotic it sounded. Now that she noticed it, the woman moved so stiff and her gray hair and eyes almost made her a robot. Bubbles and Buttercup would die if they could see this. Blossom fought back a smile at this. When the woman's eyes stuck to her, the smile faded away.

"Ms. Utonium, I'm your attorney and we here at Townsville's PD have recognized the public service that you and your sisters do. Saying so, we would like to hear what you have to say to defend yourself. It's going to have to be really moving considering what we have stacked against you." The woman placed her hand on a manilla folder that she placed on the table as she walked in.

Blossom glanced at the folder before meeting the woman's eyes, she had an unsettling glare, but Blossom's was just as unnerving. "If you don't mind, I would like to know what exactly do you have against me?"

The woman tapped her fingernails on the table, possibly considering whether she's allowed to do that, and Blossom frankly didn't know either.

"Alright." The woman opened the file enough for her to see but not enough for Blossom to. "We have you on tape setting the prison ablaze using your powers. The fire breath to be exact. And we have your clothing which has traces of soot and burnt debris."

Blossom nodded, considering what the woman had to say. "Please, Ms.. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"Sheppard."

"Yes, Ms. Sheppard.' Blossom cleared her throat. "Firstly, I'm sorry to tell you that I haven't been able to use that fire breath stuff since I was _six_. The only thing I can do even remotely close to that is entirely the opposite, I have ice breath. Not fire, _ice._ And second, I was home all last night, I have a family that can verify that, so that video of _whoever_ that girl is, is not me. Third, for there to be _any_ traces of soot on my clothes, would be if someone to put them there. I didn't do _any_ of this, someone is _framing_ me."

Sheppard nodded with a pitiful look on her face, "You'll be given a fair trial, just as anyone else in your place would. I believe you, truly I do. But, there isn't much I can do with evidence like this. As your attorney, I can try to get you a deal. You'll still be looking at some heavy time, I'm afraid."

Blossom felt her blood begin to boil. She opened her mouth to speak but Sheppard was already speaking and heading for the doors where the guards would come to take her away. "I'll be back tomorrow to see what the DA will be able to give you." And the guards came in as she slipped out the door.

The anger Blossom felt was so intense, her own skin burned. She didn't believe her and neither did anyone else. What Blossom felt she had to do went against everything she ever believed in but, it was do this or rot in a cell until her body died.

Blossom threw herself in the air and spun to knock one guard clean out. The other guard screamed for help then was silenced when the tip of Blossom's shoe connected with his temple. She hopped in the air, bringing her knees to her chest while she pulled her cuffed hands under her legs and in front of her. The chain holding her wrists together snapped feebly when she pulled her wrists apart. The sound of heavy footsteps and cocked back guns sent Blossom in a frenzy to get out. She clenched her right hand in a fist and held her breath when she swung at the brick wall beside her. It crumbled, sending bricks and dust flying as it let the sunshine on day beam in on Blossom and the two unconscious officers.

The police pulled guns on an almost empty room. Just through the hole they could see a disappearing patch of pink.

* * *

Blood dripped from Blossom's hand and tears pushed out of her eyes. If she thought she was in trouble before, this just earned her a spot on top of the Most Wanted list.

She landed ungracefully into her backyard. She completely ruined a piece of their garden and covered her clothes in dirt and grass. Through the back window she could see the living room T.V. still on with only Bubbles sitting in front of it. She hurriedly pulled the back door open and staggered in.

Bubbles spun around and jumped up, blue fire in her eyes until she realized the intruder was her sister. Blossom stumbled back with the force Bubbles hugged her. "Blossom, I know it's only been hours but it's felt like years! I missed you! And I have to tell you that orange is not your color. And I knew that you didn't do it!"

Blossom spun her around, ignoring the thing about orange, "You did?"

"Of course, you'd never do anything to hurt any innocent person like that."

Blossom pulled Bubbles back in a hug. "Oh, thank you, Bubbles." Then she pushed her away again. "We don't have a lot of time, I have to get my stuff! Blossom flew upstairs and ransacked her own bedroom. She flung only the essentials into a white backpack she had sitting empty in the corner of her room.

Bubbles flew into her doorway. Blossom turned and thought for a second, "Where's the Professor?"

"On his way to the station to see you." Blossom nodded sadly then continued to pack. She saw a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye then Bubbles was next to her with a packed bag and a smile. "I'm coming with you."

Blossom shook her head, "No, then you'll be in just as much trouble as me and I'm not letting that happen. I can't do that to you."

"Shut up." Bubbles silenced Blossom. "I'm not five anymore. I can make decisions for myself. I know I'm going to be in trouble, and that's fine with me. I'm coming with you."

Blossom nodded, then threw her bag over he shoulder before feeling that she was forgetting something. "Where's Buttercup?"

"Already finished packing." Buttercup had her black backpack slung over her shoulder, leaning against the doorframe. Blossom asked her a silent question. "I saw you crash in the backyard and knew Bubbles wasn't going to let you leave without her and there's no fucking way you two are going anywhere without me."

* * *

The Professor pulled into the driveway, cursing to himself. How could he forget his wallet in a time like this. His hands shook with frustration while he tried to get his key in the lock. When he finally did he walked straight into the kitchen, going straight past the open backdoor with the crater in the backyard and the dirt trail going upstairs. He picked up his wallet then what was in his house finally registered in his head. He ran out holding his hair in his hands.

"Bubbles!? Buttercup!?" He yelled before he saw the pink note stuck to the television screen.

_Dear Dad, _

_I'm sorry, you had to go through this. The police are going to come and more than likely raid the house, I'm sorry for that too. Believe me when I say it wasn't me that burned down the prison. Someone framed me, and we'll be back when we can come home and clear my name. We want you to stay safe so get rid of this letter when you're done reading_ _it. We love you._

_Goodbye._

_Sincerely,_

_Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup._

The Professor wiped away stray tears but smiled with happiness. He doesn't care what any of them think his girls did. He would die defending them. He tore the letter up right there.


End file.
